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CABL tackles touchy subjects for La. election agenda

Louisiana's next governor and Legislature should consider restructuring the stpopular free college tuition program, expanding Medicaid, raising the gasoline tax and avoid veering away from Common Core in public education, a good government group said

CABL tackles touchy subjects for La. election agenda

UL students celebrate their graduation from the university during graduation last winter. Many of the students had TOPs scholarships, a program the Council for a Better Louisiana wants to reform.(Photo: Paul Kieu, The Advertiser)

Louisiana's next governor and Legislature should consider restructuring the state's popular free college tuition program, expanding Medicaid, raising the gasoline tax and avoid veering away from Common Core in public education, a good government group said.

The Council for A Better Louisiana released its 2015 state election agenda "Louisiana Matters" Tuesday with strategies for improving the state in three key areas: economy and innovation; education; and livability and quality of life.

"These are priorities that need to be addressed," CABL President Barry Erwin said in an interview with Gannett Louisiana. "We'd like for them to be part of the discussion during the election, but ultimately we hope it shapes the agenda for the next governor and Legislature."

Among other suggestions from CABL: expanding access to early childhood education; review, reduce and eliminate tax rebates and credits that don't produce a substantial return on investment; and insist funds for coastal restoration aren't diverted.

"Once you get into the details, they're all controversial," Irwin said about CABL's agenda items. "But it's clear we need some fundamental changes to move our state forward."

The four major gubernatorial candidates — Republicans Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and U.S. Sen. David Vitter and Democrat state Rep. John Bel Edwards — have all addressed some of CABL's suggestions.

Dardenne, Edwards and Vitter all concede the college tuition program TOPs needs reform, while Angelle said he won't support any limits on TOPs.

"We have to change TOPS or it will collapse under its own weight," Dardenne said during a campaign speech in Monroe. "We all love TOPs and what it's done but we have to be honest. It will reach a point that we can't afford it if something isn't done."

But this from Angelle: "We should be looking for ways to sustain it, not limit it," he said during a campaign stop in Shreveport.

The state is expected to spend about $250 million on TOPS this year and almost $300 million by 2018.

A bill that would have prevented the scholarships from automatically increasing when college tuition goes up was passed by the Legislature during its spring session, but it was vetoed by Gov. Bobby Jindal.

All four candidates have said they will at least consider expanding Medicaid, but Edwards is the only one to commit to an expansion without reservation.

None of the candidates is willing to support a 10-cent increase in the gasoline tax out of the gate, but Edwards said during a forum in Baton Rouge this week he would consider it after all other options to address a $12 billion infrastructure backlog were exhausted.

Dardenne is the only candidate to support the basic principles of the existing Common Core standards with more input from Louisianians.

"The bottom line is that, from CABL's perspective, this agenda represents the priorities we believe the state needs to focus on to move forward," Erwin said. "Overall, it has both short-term and long-term ramifications, but at the heart of it are two questions. What do we want our state to beand how do we make that happen? These are CABL's thoughts on how we might answer those questions."